It's over.
It's finally over, and all he can think is that this wasn't how it was supposed to end.
Ganondorf stands over him, dead, the Master Sword buried in his stomach, his cape flapping like a phantom in the wind. Zelda stands beside him, her bow forgotten, and she lifts a hand to rest on his shoulder, his name forming quiet on her lips. But Midna... there's a hollowness inside of him when he thinks of it, that all that's left of her is a broken stone mask and a hole in his chest where his heart used to be, a hole in his life where an imp used to be.
Zelda's hand on his shoulder is all that anchors him to this world as he stands there, just stands there, and there's a growing void within him.
and despair threatens to overwhelm him—
but—
...
but...
all of a sudden,
the light spirits —
appear on the hill, and they're looking at something (a mask — )
he realizes — (it's her)
(she's alive, he — )
and as his heart floods with light and life again, they turn to look at him.
and then they're gone, fading like the memory of his emptiness.
and gods be damned if he doesn't run up that hill like a madman, heedless of how ridiculous he looks, to pause, panting hard, when instead of a stone mask there's only a swath of fabric, like a cape, and an unfamiliar figure knelt on the ground before him.
he slows, stops, and can only watch dumbly as the figure rises, stands, and then turns, almost shy, to look at him —
and then she smiles.
and his heart stops. just stops.
and her eyes are so full of warmth and mischief and he knows it's her when she says in a voice as familiar as his own, "what? say something! am i so beautiful that you've no words left?"
and he can only smile like a fool and sigh, he can breathe again, and the next thing he knows she's got her arms around him, swinging him around like he weighs nothing at all, and his face is wet, with her tears or with his own, and a laugh catches in his throat like a sob.
"gods, link," she breathes into his hair. "you made it, after all."
and he can only cling to her like she's the last link he has to this world, like he'll vanish, fade away in the air if he lets her go this time. so he holds onto her, hangs on like he'll never let go.
and she lets him, and even when zelda comes up the hill they don't let go, just look up as one, the joy brimming on their faces until it overflows and even zelda can't help but smile despite herself.
but after a moment her smile fades, and she looks at midna with something like a question in her eyes, solemn and sad, and midna only looks back at her with resolve, and it's the face she makes when she's made up her mind about something.
her arms tighten around link and link looks between them, confused.
it doesn't make sense,
—
until later, they're at the top of the mirror chamber, and he's looking at her with such hope she can't stand it, so she —
she —
"link... i..."
a tear glows gold drifts in the air the mirror ruptures with a splitting
CRACK
"...see you later..."
link looks at her, the breath catches in his throat and somehow even though he doesn't know what's going to happen
he DOES and he
—
she's looking at him
she's looking at him and even though she says nothing and he says nothing they're practically screaming at one another
—
her eyes say LIVE, LIVE
live you stupid boy, live another day
live like you mean it
live even when you don't want to anymore
live, for me
please, it's all i ask of you
link, just
LIVE
...
(and maybe, just maybe,
i love you, too)
—
and his eyes can only say WHAT
what's happening where are you
going why did you
what's going on please don't i
midna wh
what's
midna ?
what wait stop MIDNA
—
and she only looks at him
LIVE
and he only looks at her and
WAIT
and
.
.
.
and
the mirror
shatters.
and
there's nothing left.
th
ere;s no stairs, no light
on the rock
only black, black stone
and an empt y cradle.
and sh
she'
hh h hh h hhhhh
he's on the ground and she's
gone
GONE
and she's NOT
she's not
...coming...
back...
—
he
his
fingers
theyre trembling
gods they're
he can't
—
there is no emptiness inside of him.
there is only a bottomless well of sorrow
and he cries tears like blood
or water
bursting forth from deep inside him
and it is not pretty, or quiet, or easy,
he's sobbing
heaving into the sand, his face mottled and he
he can'tbreathe
she's GONE
his fists bury themselves in the sand,
cut on little bits of glass too small
to ever put back together and they're
caught up on the wind to be blown away,
mixed with the sands of this world
—
forever
—
and there is
nothing left
and he is not
and never will be
o k ay
becau se
SHE'S GONE
SHE...
IS
G ONE...
and she's NOT
she's not
.
.
.
coming back.
—
zelda shes not coming back, is she.
is she.
—
and,
"no,"
there is nothing left
he crawls half blind to the base of the mirror to the stone where she once stood, and, fingers fisted, eyes wet and sticky with sand, he curls up there, shakes, trembles all over, and refuses to budge until night comes and he's sobbed until his stomach hurts and there is nothing left
to stop him from screaming into the night
.
.
.
W A I T
.
.
.
why didnt y ou
...wait
for m e
i
just wante d
to LIVE
with y o u
with me
and that's
all i wanted
.
.
.
why
didnt you just
.
.
.
.
...w ait...
and the sun rises over the sand (glass)
and he
gets up
stained by tears like blood from this battle
and he
gets up
and he walks away, from that mirror
and he
dies, inside
—
even though,
(LIVE)
she told him
(LIVE)
not to
—
he
dies, inside
.
.
.
and he's NOT
he's not
coming
.
.
.
back,
—
is he.
.
.
.
A/N: I'm sorry.